Tool mount for floor finishing machine with snap-in latch

ABSTRACT

A replaceable tool mount for rotary floor treating machines consists of a wedge-shaped block having downwardly and inwardly sloping side edges designed to fit within a correspondingly shaped slot formed in a bottom surface of a circular drive plate. The upper surface of the wedge-shaped block includes a radial notch. A latch connected to the block by a living hinge overlays the notch and has a tab at its free end adapted to engage the peripheral edge of the drive plate when the block is advanced along the slot in the steel plate to a point when the tab snaps over the plate&#39;s peripheral edge. This prevents the block from any further movement until the latch is again released by raising it to the point where it no longer engages the front edge of the plate.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional application of Application No.62/512,881, filed May 31, 2017 and claims priority from that applicationwhich is also deemed incorporated by reference in its entirety in thisapplication.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION I. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to equipment for smoothing andpolishing concrete, stone and wooden floors and more particularly to animproved tool mount for attachment to a drive plate of motor drivenfloor treatment machines.

II. Discussion of the Prior Art

Machines for smoothing or polishing floor surfaces are generally of twotypes, ride-on and walk-behind. In each, at least one drive plate isprovided that is generally circular and may have one or more abrasivepads or other tools affixed to an underside thereof. The plate is drivenby a motor that powers a vertical drive shaft to which the drive plateis affixed.

The prior art offers a variety of ways in which abrasive pads and othertools are removably Mined to the drive plate. For example, Velcro hookand loop material has been employed, as have magnets, screws and bolts.As, say, an abrasive tool wears down through use, it must be replacedand it is desirable that the replacement operation be carried outexpeditiously and preferably without the use of a hand tool of any kind.The present invention meets the foregoing criteria.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to the construction of a replaceabletool mount for use on rotary floor treating machines. It comprises amolded plastic machined metal block with inwardly tapered sides leadingfrom a rear edge of the block to its front edge. The block has a planartop surface that is adapted to support an abrasive pad or other floortreatment tool known in the art thereon and a bottom surface thatincludes a rectangular notch extending inwardly from the front edge ofthe block toward, but short of, the block's rear edge. An integrallyformed latch member is cantilevered with respect to the rectangularnotch and the latch terminates with a tab at a front edge of the latchmember that extends at a predetermine angle to the remainder of thelatch member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription of a preferred embodiment, especially when considered inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals in theseveral views refer to corresponding parts.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tool mount for a floor finishingmachine when viewed from the upper right thereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mount when viewed from below;

FIG. 3 is a top plain view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a front view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plain view thereof;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of plural mounts following installation ona floor machine drive plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The description of the preferred embodiment is intended to be read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be consideredpart of the entire written description of this invention. In thedescription, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”,“vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top”, and “bottom”, as wellas derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly”,etc.), should be construed to refer to the orientation as then describedor as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms arefor the convenience of description and do not require that the apparatusbe constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms, such as“connected”, “connecting”, “attached”, “attaching”, “join”, and“joining”, are used interchangeably and refer to one structure orsurface being secured to another structure or surface or integrallyfabricated in one piece, unless expressly described otherwise. As usedherein, the term “floor treating machine” is meant to include floortroweling machines, floor grinding, floor polishing, floor burnishing,floor scrubbing and swing machines.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the preferred embodiment of the tool mount10 is seen to comprise a machined or molded steel or plastic block 12having a front edge 14 and a rear edge 16 with tapered side edges 18 and20. The top surface 22 of the block 12 is flat and is adapted to supportan abrasive material or other floor treating tool thereon. As seen inFIG. 3, the rear edge 16 is rectilinear while the front edge 14 isaccurate, exhibiting a predetermined radius.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, formed inward from the bottom surface 24 ofthe block 12 and centrally located a rectangular notch or channel 26leading from the arcuate front edge 14 toward, but short of the rearedge 16. Integrally formed in the block and overlaying the notch 26 is acantilevered resilient latch member 28. The latch member terminates at afront edge in an integrally formed tab 30 projecting normally from theremaining portion of the latch member 28 as seen in the cross-sectionalview of FIG. 6.

The location 32 where the latch member 28 joins to the remainder of theblock 12 comprises a “living hinge” allowing the latch member to deflectinto the notch 26 when an upward force is applied to the tab 30 whenviewed as in FIG. 6.

While the tool mount. 10 is preferably formed from plastic in a moldingoperation, it can also be formed from a suitable metal such as steel oraluminum.

Referring once again to FIGS. 1 and 4, they show the tapered side edges13 and 20 are of a predetermined height dimension and each includes afirst portion 34 that extends perpendicular to the top surface 22 and asecond lower portion 36 that flares outwardly at a predetermined angle.

In FIG. 7, there is shown a circular drive plate 38 that is adapted toattach to a motorized drive mechanism (not shown) of a floor treatingmachine. It includes a connecting circular recess 39 and a series orrecesses 41 in a bottom surface 40 where the recesses include taperedside edges 42 corresponding to the taper of the tool mount 10 and theflared portion 36 of its side edges 18 and 20. Furthermore, the radiusof curvature of the arcuate front edge 14 of the tool mount 10 matchesthat of the plate 38. It can be appreciated that when the tool mountsare inserted into the recesses in the drive plate 38 from the centralrecess 39 on the drive plate and advanced toward the periphery of theplate 38, the resilient, spring-like latch 28 will be forced up into itsnotch 26 by the tab 30 rubbing on the base of the drive plate's recess.When the tool mount is fully inserted, the tab 30 will snap down overthe peripheral edge of plate 38 and thereby prevent any movement of themount 10 back toward the center of the plate.

When it is desired to remove an abrasive tool affixed to the mount 10for replacement, a user need merely lift up on the tab 30 to again placethe latch within its notch while simultaneously urging the mount 10toward the drive plate's center to exit the recess 39 in the driveplate.

Although the invention has been described in. connection with specificembodiments of the same, it will be understood that it is capable ofobvious variations without departing from its scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A replaceable tool mount for a rotary floortreating machine comprising: (a) a block having tapered sides leadingfrom a rear edge to an arcuate front edge, and having a planar topsurface adapted to support a floor finishing tool thereon and a bottomsurface including a notch extending radially inwardly from the arcuatefront edge toward, but short of the rear edge of the block, and anintegrally formed resilient latch member cantilevered with respect tothe notch, the latch member terminating at a free end thereof in a tab,the tab extending at a predetermined angle to a remainder of the latchmember.
 2. The replaceable tool mount of claim 1 wherein the rear edgeis of a greater length than the arcuate front edge of the block.
 3. Thereplaceable tool mount of claim 2 wherein the tapered sides are of apredetermined thickness and each includes a first portion extendingperpendicular to the top surface and a second portion that flaresoutward at an angle from the first portion.
 4. The replaceable toolmount of claim 1 wherein the latch member is joined to the bottomsurface by a living hinge.
 5. The replaceable tool mount of claim 1wherein the tool mount is formed of molded plastic material.
 6. Thereplaceable tool mount of claim 4 wherein the tab extends beyond a planeof the bottom surface when the latch member is not being depressed intothe notch.
 7. A replaceable tool mount for a drive plate of a floortreating machine comprising: a) a circular steel plate adapted forrotary attachment to a floor treating machine, the plate having a planarupper surface and a lower surface that includes a concentrally locatedcircular recess with a plurality of regularly spaced radially extendingtapered slots extending from the circular recess to a peripheral edge ofthe circular steel plate, the slots being more narrow at a front edgethan at a rear edge and where side edges of the slots taper upwardly andinwardly in progressing from the lower surface toward the upper surface;and b) a tool mount of claim 1 insertable into a selected one of theradially extending tapered slots in the steel plate from the centrallylocated circular recess causing the latch member to be recessed into thenotch, the tool mount being radially movable in the selected slot untilthe tab snaps over the peripheral edge of the steel plate.